Doctors say new research has found a link between weight-loss drugs and cancer, putting users at ‘significantly higher risk’ of the disease. The injections were originally made to tackle diabetes and research in the USA has found they come with a greater risk of cancer than other diabetes drugs.
US doctors tracked 350,000 patients for the research. They said the risk of developing thyroid cancer was higher, but still low.
Around 500,000 people in the UK now use the drugs, which have been approved for use on the NHS, and results show you can lose a fifth of your body weight in months.
The new report comes after 2023 research also found a link between the drugs and an increased risk of one type of thyroid cancer in tests on mice. In 2024, the European Medicines Agency also said the drugs used could increase the risk of thyroid cancer.
The latest researchfrom the University of Maryland followed 351,913 patients with type 2 diabetes, no history of thyroid cancer and an average age of 65.
40,000 were given the new weight-loss drugs and others were given established diabetes treatments. Over six years the research found the risk of thyroid cancer for those on the new weight-loss drugs was‘significantly higher’ compared to the other three drugs – in the first year.
They added: “This finding may have been due to enhanced early detection. Therefore, further research is necessary to understand the underlying causes of this association.”
They added: ” These findings highlight the need for further research to fully understand the nature of this association.”
400 people have been hospitalized in the UK after taking the new weight loss jabs, mostly due to nausea, diarrhoea and ‘severe dehydration’. There have also been serious complications including seizures,bowel obstruction and pancreatitis.